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November 1, 2005

We managed to get connected to the internet this evening and sent off our 3rd installment and picked up several messages from family and friends. I have not been able to respond to each message individually so please accept our appreciation for your remembrances of us.

Today we were able to get out of the city since the Great Wall is about an hour and a half drive north. The place we visited was at the town of Badaling. There is a cable car that takes you to a point that makes it possible to climb to the highest point of all the Great Wall about 2500 feet above sea level. It is very rugged terrain and the wall follows the ridge line which is all up and down very steep inclines. We did get to the high point and a little way down the next hill. At that point we could observe the wall as it snaked its way across several ranges of hills and with binoculars were able to see it as it ascended the side of a mountain 4-6 miles away. The wall runs roughly east and west with the north side having a higher parapet than the south. This parapet provided protection for the defenders and allowed weapons to be fired through port holes . Its construction began in the 7th and 8th centuries B.C. and more than 20 rulers over a period of 2000 years contributed to its building.

As we drove through the countryside on our way to the burial sites of 14 of the Ming Emperors we were able to see fruit trees and other agricultural pursuits. They have some beautiful and tasty apples that are stripped rosy pink and yellow. We passed one orchard that appeared to be U-pick site. And of course on the way to every tourist attraction there are vendors of all sorts. We passed one place that appeared to be offering horse and camel rides.

On our way to this burial site our guide began to tell us about “Feng Shui”. To the best of my understanding this is all of the things that need to be considered when arranging your furniture to choosing a place to build your home so that you will have good luck. And the first of the Ming emperors to choose Beijing as his capital (about 1300-1400 A.D.) made sure that his burial site would have the best of “Feng Shui”. It is in a grove of cypress trees on a small hill with mountains behind it and streams running in front of it. I believe good fortune flows out of the mountains but cannot cross the stream so “Feng Shui” is assured. The complex of buildings associated with this Emperor’s burial site is rather large with a huge statue of the emperor enshrined in the main building. Surrounding this site and at some distance from it are the burial sites of 13 more emperors. Only one of all these has been explored archeologically and that is the most recent. Artifacts from that dig ranging from a gold crown to garments are on display.